The Xiaomi Redmi K40 series to feature the world's smallest punch hole and Samsung's most expensive flat display; Snapdragon 870 expected for February-bound flagships

More details have been revealed about the upcoming Redmi K40 series' displays, courtesy of Digital Chat Station. Past leaks have suggested that Xiaomi will equip the Redmi K40 series with a 120 Hz OLED screen, an upgrade from the panels used in last year's extensive Redmi K30 series. However, Digital Chat Station has explained more about what screens we should expect from Xiaomi's next Redmi smartphones.

On the one hand, the whistleblower claims that we should expect Xiaomi to use high refresh rate screens in high and low-end models. Xiaomi supposedly plans to equip some models with Samsung's E4 OLED screen too, a screen that the Chinese company also uses in the Mi 11. The Samsung E4 offers lower power consumption than the E3, combined with higher peak brightness and an improved contrast ratio, which would be a boon for the likes of the Redmi K40 Pro. Apparently, the Redmi K40 series will utilise a flat display too, with the E4 the most expensive flat display that Samsung currently sells to OEMs.

While the Redmi K40 series may have flat displays like the Redmi K30 series, Digital Chat Station believes that there will be no return of the pop-up camera this year. Instead, Digital Chat Station asserts that the Redmi K40 series will have an 'ultra-small' punch-hole for a front-facing camera. The whistleblower adds that this hole should measure 2.8 mm across, which would be one of the smallest camera punch-holes on the market. Hence, this could be something that Xiaomi sells as a feature when it announces the Redmi K40 series next month.

Additionally, Qualcomm has hinted that Xiaomi will use the Snapdragon 870 in one of its next smartphones. The Snapdragon 870 is only a repackaged Snapdragon 865 Plus, rather than a new chip, with a 100 MHz higher clock speed on its ARM Cortex-A77 Prime core. The Snapdragon 870 shares all other specifications with the Snapdragon 865 Plus, though.

Qualcomm claims that Snapdragon 870 devices will start arriving in Q1 2021, a timeframe that is in line with the Redmi K40 series' launch date. We would expect Xiaomi to use the Snapdragon 888 in at least one Redmi K40 SKU though, rather than a fleet of Snapdragon 870-powered devices. A top-end model like the Redmi K40 Pro would seemingly be a probable candidate for Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset then as it would differentiate it from the Redmi K30 Pro.

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